TradeSTAR, Inc

What TradeSTAR, Inc does

TradeSTAR, Inc. is a privately held, Texas-based staffing and recruiting firm founded in 2004 that specializes exclusively in the electrical and low-voltage construction trades. The company places temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire candidates — including electricians (apprentices through journeymen and foremen), structured cabling technicians, fire alarm and security installers, AV technicians, and project managers — into commercial contractor clients across Texas, with active operations in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, headquartered in Pasadena, TX.

The company's core differentiator is a proprietary 8-hour Entry-Level Training Program that prepares candidates on BICSI, TIA/EIA, NFPA, and NEC standards before placement, supplemented by a structured vetting process covering background checks, drug screening, license verification, and skills assessments. Supporting technology consists of a self-serve job portal (jobs.tradestarinc.com) and an employer-facing talent showcase, but TradeSTAR's value creation is primarily service-driven rather than technology-driven.

TradeSTAR generates revenue through two streams: temporary and contract staffing, where the company earns a markup on worker wages while handling payroll, workers' compensation, and compliance on behalf of contractor clients; and direct-hire placement, where the company earns a placement fee upon successful permanent hiring. Its go-to-market is sales-led, with a direct sales team engaging electrical and low-voltage contractors across Texas, augmented by content marketing, referral programs, and digital self-serve channels. The firm reports 501-1,000 employees and has operated continuously for over 20 years without disclosed external funding.

Name

TradeSTAR, Inc

Legal name

TradeSTAR, Inc.

Website

https://tradestarinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

TradeSTAR, Inc. is a Texas-based, privately held staffing firm founded in 2004 that places temporary and direct-hire electricians, low-voltage technicians, and trade professionals into commercial electrical and specialty systems contractors across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Temporary/Contract Staffing: TradeSTAR provides temporary workers to electrical and low-voltage contractors, earning revenue through markup on worker wages. The company handles payroll, workers' compensation, and compliance, charging contractors for the staffing services.
2. Direct Hire/Placement Services: The company places candidates in permanent positions with contractor clients, earning placement fees upon successful hiring of candidates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

TradeSTAR, Inc. is a Texas-based staffing and recruiting firm that places job seekers into temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire positions with commercial electrical and low-voltage contractors. The company specializes in three verticals—Technology/Structured Cabling, Electrical, and Professional roles—and supports placements with an in-house Entry-Level Training Program (an 8-hour boot camp covering safety, blueprint reading, structured cabling, and fire alarm fundamentals based on BICSI, TIA/EIA, NFPA, and NEC standards) plus comprehensive candidate vetting.

Product overview

TradeSTAR, Inc. operates as a staffing and recruiting platform with a focus on the electrical and low-voltage industries across Texas. The company offers three core specialty staffing services—Technology/Structured Cabling, Electrical, and Professional placements—supported by an Entry-Level Training Program that provides 8-hour boot camps for new hires. The platform also includes a job search portal for candidates and comprehensive vetting services for employers including background checks, drug screening, and skills assessments. The core recruiting and staffing service connects contractors with job seekers for temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recruiting and Staffing Services Core recruiting, staffing, and hiring services for electrical and low-voltage contractors across Texas, placing job seekers in temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire positions.
• Technology Staffing (Structured Cabling) Staffing services specializing in structured cabling, voice and data cabling, and technology integration positions including VD designers, estimators, and technicians for low-voltage contractors.
• Electrical Staffing Staffing services for commercial electricians at all levels, including apprentices, journeymen, foremen, and project managers for electrical contractors.
• Professional Staffing Placement services for professional-level positions including project managers, estimators, sales personnel, and management roles within the electrical and low-voltage industries.
• Entry-Level Training Program An 8-hour intensive orientation and skills boot camp for entry-level hires covering low-voltage wiring, commercial voice/data cabling, fire alarm installation, safety practices, and industry standards based on BICSI, TIA/EIA, NFPA, and NEC codes.
• Candidate Screening and Vetting Services Comprehensive candidate evaluation including face-to-face interviews, skill assessments, background checks, drug screening, reference verification, license verification, and safety certification management.
• Job Search Portal Online job search and application platform allowing candidates to search for jobs, create accounts, set up job alerts, upload resumes, and apply for positions across Texas locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Entry-level helpers from TradeSTAR tend to outperform those from other staffing sources with fewer safety incidents, longer tenure, and higher rates of being hired directly by clients
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• PeopleReady (TrueBlue): PeopleReady is the skilled trades staffing arm of TrueBlue, providing temporary labor across construction, industrial, and skilled trades including electrical work. It overlaps with TradeSTAR's commercial electrical and low-voltage staffing offerings but operates as a high-volume generalist rather than a niche specialist.
• MRINetwork: MRINetwork is a global executive and professional search network with practices covering construction, engineering, and skilled trades. It overlaps with TradeSTAR's professional placement line (project managers, estimators) but targets primarily permanent mid-to-senior placements rather than temporary trades staffing.
• Tradesmen International: Tradesmen International is one of the largest construction-skilled-trades staffing firms in the U.S., with deep presence in electrical and other construction trades. It competes with TradeSTAR for the same contractor customers but operates across all skilled trades and nationwide, rather than specializing in electrical/low-voltage within a single state.
• Aerotek: Aerotek is a large multi-specialty staffing firm with a dedicated construction practice covering electrical and low-voltage trades. It serves the same Texas contractor customer base as TradeSTAR but offers a far broader portfolio of staffing services across industries.
• Acro Service Corporation: Acro is a staffing firm with specialty practices in technical and skilled trades placements including electrical and low-voltage. It serves the same customer profile as TradeSTAR but operates nationally and across multiple verticals beyond construction.

Regional players

• Labor Finders: Labor Finders is a franchised light-industrial and construction staffing firm with strong presence in the southern U.S., including Texas. It provides construction labor to similar contractor customers as TradeSTAR but focuses on general labor and light industrial rather than specialty electrical/low-voltage trades.

Direct peers

• IES Commercial, Inc. IES Commercial is a large electrical contractor and staffing provider serving the Texas commercial market. Like TradeSTAR, it focuses on commercial electrical labor at multiple skill tiers and competes for the same pool of Texas-based electricians and low-voltage technicians.
• CCS Construction Staffing: CCS Construction Staffing is a specialty staffing firm focused on commercial construction trades including electrical. It directly competes with TradeSTAR for Texas contractor customers needing electricians and low-voltage technicians.

Emerging players

• MGR Construction Recruiters: MGR is a recruiting firm focused on the electrical and construction industries, placing electricians, project managers, and estimators. It overlaps with TradeSTAR's direct-hire and professional staffing lines but is more focused on permanent placement than temporary staffing.
• Talent Corps: Talent Corps is a recruiting and staffing firm serving the electrical construction industry, placing journeymen, foremen, and project managers. It is comparable to TradeSTAR's electrical specialty line but operates more as a search/recruiting firm than a high-volume temp staffing provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tradestar_inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/603492
• Facebookfacebook.com/tradestarinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TradeSTAR, Inc